Centrifugal hair-separator.



PATENTED DEC. 11, 1 06.

H. J. BROWN. GENTRIFUGAL HAIR SBPARATOR.

7 APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- m w W W PATENTED DEC. 11 1906.

2 sums-sum 2.

H. J. BROWN. GENTRIPUGAL HAIR SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY'Z, 1904.

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THE NORRIS PETERS c UNITED STATES PATENT cl rion."-

HOLCOMBE J. BROWVN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CENTRIFUGAL HAIR-SEPARATOI R.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 11, 1906.

Application filed May 2,1904- Serial N0- 206,005-

To a whont it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HoLooMBE J. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Centrifugal Hair-Separators, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to that class of machines which are designed for the purpose of economically and perfectly fiberizing, picking, separating, and cleaning all kinds of hair, fibers, &c., as will more fully hereinafter appear.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple, economical, and efficient machine for separating, picking, and cleaning all kinds of hair and fibrous materials.

Other and further objects of the invention will appear from an examination of the drawings and the following description and claims.

The invention consists principally in an organized machine in which there are combined a supporting-frame, a rotatablemember therein provided with teeth or similar elements projecting longitudinally therefrom, and a stationary member arranged adjacent thereto and provided with teeth projecting longitudinally therefrom and intermeshing with the teeth on the rotatable member, whereby during the rotation of the parts centrifugal force is developed. and the material to be operated upon fed forward thereby to be subjected to the picking action of the teeth.

The invention consists, further and finally, in the features, combinations, and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of one type of machine as it appears when constructed in accordance with these improvements; Fig. 2, a front elevation of the inclosing casing, with part of the forward wall or stationary plate broken away; and Fig. 3, a sectional plan view of a portion of the mechanism, taken on line 3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow.

In constructing a machine in accordance with these improvements I make a supporting-frame a of the desired size, shape, and strength to support and hold the operative and other parts in position for use. This supporting-frame portion is provided with two bearing-boxes b I), made in two partsa lower part integral with the supportingframe and an upper part in the shape of caps c 0, held in position by means of the bolts and nuts d. These boxes are babbited, as at e, in the usual manner.

To perform the functions of the machine that is, the cleaning, fiberizing, and separating of the materialsa rotatable shaft f is provided and rotatably journaled in the bearing-boxes b, above referred to. The front end. of this shaft is provided with a disk g, rigidly attached thereto, formed either, as shown in the drawings, integral therewith or to be made in a separate plate and otherwise secured in any ordinary manner to the rotatable shaft and in such way as to be rotated thereby. This rotatable disk is the principal feature of the machine in that it is provided with the fiberizing elements and during its rotation develops sufficient centrifugal force, as will be hereinafter more fully shown, to force the material through the machine, and thereby subject it to the picking elements. In order to provide for these results, the rotatable disk is provided with a plurality of picking-teeth h, formed of shouldered pins longitudinally arranged (see Fig. 3) and passed through perforations in the plate and headed on their inner ends. It will be understood, of course, that these picking-teeth may be formed in a variety of shapes and attached to the plate in any one of a number of equally-eflicient methods. As shown in Fig. 2, these picking-teeth are arranged in radial and circular lines and project forward from the front face of the rotatable disk, which is also provided with a number of serrations or ratchet-shaped teeth 71 on its peripheral surface. These ratchet-shaped teeth grasp the material, carry it around with them, and

discharge it when opposite the outlet or disch rge opening, as will be more fully hereinafter set forth.

To form the second element of the fiberiz ing mechanisms, a stationary plate is used and arranged parallel with and in front of the rotatable plate. This stationary plate is provided with a multiplicity of inwardlyprojecting longitudinally-arranged pickingteeth 7c, also arranged in radial and circular lines, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to intermesh with the forwardly-projecting teeth on the rotatable plate, as shown in Fig. 3. This arran ement is such that the material is brought into successive contact with the picking teeth or pins when it is fed in and subjected to centrifugal action and separated or fiberized and cleaned, all of which will more fully hereinafter appear. v

To complete the mechanism, an inclosing casing is provided, preferably formed of a rear wall secured to the supporting-frame of the machine by means of brackets m, a pcripheral wooden ring it, and the forward stationary plate j, above described, all arranged so as to substantially entirely surround the rotatable disk, thus confining the material and assisting in guiding it through the machine during the operations thereof, except as hereinafter set forth.

The stationary disk is further provided with a centrally-arranged inlet-opening p, and the peripheral ring n is broken away, as shown in Fig. 2, for about one-eighth of its circumference, so as to form a discharge- 0 ening g. Attached to the supportingp ate opposite the inlet-opening is afeedinghopper 1' of such construction that the material may be dumped therein and fed into the machine. The different parts of the inclosing casingare secured together by means of a plurality of securing bolts and nuts t, (shown particularly in Figs. 2 and 3,) all of whichpermits the parts to be readily associated and disassociated whenever desirable or necessary.

I operation the material to be treated is admitted through the inlet-opening, where it is caught by the teeth on the rotatable disk and carried around, in the process of which the teeth on the stationary plate retard the progress, resulting either in the clean separation of the hair from a clotty mass or the fiberizing of other materials. This operation is repeated in a step-by-step manner as the materials are forced out with the aid or during the action of the centrifugal force developed during the rotation of the disk until it reaches the space it, formed between the toothed periphery of the rotatable disk and its outer inclosing wall. Here the separated material is carried around by the teeth on the disk until it comes opposite the discharge-opening, from whence it is discharged.

In addition to the centrifugal force developed, which aids in the passage of the mate rial through the machine, as above described, astrong current of air is set in motion by the air entering the inlet-opening and exhaust ing through the discharge-opening, which current of air assists in cleaning the fiber of all dirt. The difl erent materials.such as dust,

dirt, and fibertake various trajectories as they are ejected through the discharge-opening, owing to their difierence in weight or specific gravity, thus acting to eflectually clean the hair or fiber acted upon, all of which will be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art.

I claim 1. In a machine-of the class described, the combination of a supporting-frame portion, a disk rotatably mounted therein, teeth proj ecting from the face thereof, teeth upon the periphery thereof, a supporting member upon which such disk is mounted, a statlonary plate mounted beyond the end of such disk, and carrying teeth extending between the teeth upon the face of the. rotatable disk, substantially as described.

2. In a mach-'ne of the class described, the combination of a circular inclosing chamber having a peripheral opening therein, a d1sk rotatably mounted in such chamber, projecting teeth upon one side of such disk, teeth upon the outer periphery of the disk, a stationary disk, teeth thereon projecting between the teeth upon the face of the rotating disk, a hopper for feeding material to the inner part of the disk, and means for separating such material and discharging the same through the opening in the periphery of the inclosing chamber, substantially as described.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a supportingframe, a shaft rotatably mounted therein, a disk secured to such shaft so as to be rotated thereby, a multiplicity of picking teeth or pins rigidly secured to the forward face of the said rotatable disk and extending longitudinally therefrom, a plurality of teeth on the periphcry of said dlsk, a stationary disk arranged parallel with and in front of the rotatable disk, a plurality of teeth rigidly secured to the inner face of such statlonary disk and projecting inwardly and longitudinally therefrom so as to intermesh with the teeth on the 

